Linda was keenly aware that if their grotesque disguises were discovered, they'd be torn to shreds in an instant.
The overpowering scent of blood and putrid skin masked their own human odors, providing a fragile veil of anonymity.
As they pushed open the cafeteria doors, a thousand twisted, mutated faces swiveled toward them, alert to the sound. Their forms were an abomination, a perversion of human and beast.
Feeling the weight of so many monstrous gazes, Linda's legs almost gave way beneath her. She clung to Charles's arm just to stay upright.
Some of the mutants looked at them quizzically, as if pondering whether these newcomers were friends or foes. They slowly advanced, as if to test the waters.
Witnessing their approach, Linda's trembling intensified.
In stark contrast, Charles seemed exhilaratingly alive. He even pulled Linda forward, positioning them face to face with the mutants, mimicking their guttural breathing patterns.
These man-made mutants, though intensely aggressive, directed their hostility primarily at humans. Among their own kind, they were strangely tolerant.
"&#$@%!&@,"
Uttered one grotesque mutants, a boy whose face was half-eaten away and whose body seemed riddled with livers. He moved his limbs in some arcane gesture, as if querying Charles.
"&#$@%!&@,"
Charles responded, flawlessly mimicking the sounds and gestures.
After a few such exchanges, the boy and his "friends" seemed to conclude that Charles was merely an emotionless echo chamber, and their interest waned. They dispersed.
Only then did Linda realize how soaked with sweat her back had become. That was too close for comfort.
Charles, that unconventional madman!
Of all the scenarios she'd envisioned for diffusing the situation, never had she thought Charles would play the part of a parrot—and succeed!
It was so utterly ludicrous it defied belief.
In some twisted way, Charles's act showcased a peculiar linguistic talent. To accurately mimic and remember those bizarre utterances was a skill, one that had just saved their lives.
With the mutated creatures no longer posing an obstacle, Charles wandered around the cafeteria with Linda for a while.
He intentionally observed the behavior of these monsters, and soon discovered that the dining hall had a total of 21 doors. Curiously, one door in the far corner had no monsters coming in or out.
What's more, the other mutants seemed to deliberately avoid that particular door, bypassing it every time they passed by its vicinity.
This behavior piqued Charles's intense curiosity. What could possibly lie behind that door that even these vicious mutants feared?
Given the precariousness of the situation, Charles decided not to approach that mysterious door for now. Instead, he focused on gathering key information within the cafeteria.
His eyes fell upon several decaying bodies that had been gnawed upon, noticing scattered papers hidden within their clothing.
With the intention of collecting these papers, Charles moved closer. Some of the mutants, assuming he was joining in the feast, kindly made room for him.
Charles had no taste for human flesh, but, to keep up appearances, he picked up some maggots and swallowed them.
The sight nearly made Linda vomit.
Seeing Charles consume something eliminated any remaining suspicion the mutants might have had about him. This made his task of collecting the papers much easier.
Most of the papers were experimental data, offering little value to either Charles or Linda. However, one blood-stained sheet caught Charles's keen eye.
It mentioned an unfamiliar location: Blood Moon Tower.
Quickly, Charles unfolded the paper.
...
"The experiment has failed, and we've received a destruction order from Blood Moon Tower headquarters."
"Lord Belrut has asked us to leave this lab as soon as possible. He will find a way to destroy everything here."
"Everyone is so unwilling to accept this. We've worked so hard for so many years, and now this!"
"No one can stand it...The theoretical data was all correct...Why? Why!"
"We are not afraid of death!"
"But...we cannot tolerate failure!"
"Tonight, we make our final stand!"
As Charles finished reading, both he and Linda heard a system alert.
"Congratulations, Charles and Linda."
"You've uncovered the truth of Mist School."
"Tickets to the Endless Abyss have been issued!"
"Next, you can choose to leave or stay. If you break the curse of Mist School, you will receive additional rewards."
Both Charles and Linda received tickets to the Endless Abyss. Charles' was a train ticket, while Linda's was a boat ticket.
That meant that, with Charles' help, Linda had successfully passed the first level of the test and no longer had to worry about actual death.
Normally, Linda would be dancing with joy. But now, she felt her limbs icy cold, her body shivering.
The monsters in the cafeteria were once vibrant, young people who entered this school for education and advancement. They could never have known they were stepping into a terrifying earthly hell.
Linda couldn't imagine the desperation these students must have felt when subjected to cruel experimental procedures.
While Charles was deep in thought, Linda sidled up to him, whispering almost inaudibly, "Charles, what should we do next? Will destroying this lab break the school's curse?"
Based on her recent understanding of Charles, she knew he was not one to settle. He wouldn't leave until this den of evil and blood was utterly demolished.
And Linda was also keen to obliterate this place, a locale saturated with malevolence and suffering.
"The curse probably has little direct connection with this underground lab," Charles declared confidently.
After circling the cafeteria twice, Charles led Linda back into the outer lab.
"Are you sure?" Linda pursed her lips, feeling utterly perplexed. Every time Charles spoke, she felt as though she were a fool.
Though they'd been together the whole time and seen the same things, she could never guess what was going on inside Charles's mind.
"If this place were the source of the curse, why haven't the mutants here been affected?"
"Compared to everything in the academic building, don't you think this underground lab seems too... normal?"
Linda couldn't help but think, "Normal? Where in hell is this lab normal? They're terrifying mutants!"
Charles continued, "Based on the available information, the evil spirit of Leopold outside is likely a product of this experimental base. It can go through walls, fly, and its state is quite unstable. I believe you observed these details when it was chasing Matthew earlier."
Linda nodded, although her mind was blank.
What abilities did the evil spirit possess? At the time, she was too busy running to notice.
Flying, perhaps? Nevermind, if Charles said so, then it must be true.
She concluded that tagging along with Charles was the best course of action for her.
"Don't you find it odd that it stays near the entrance and doesn't wander around, even though it has these abilities?"
Leaning against the door, Charles manipulated something on the 'tail' of his human skin coat as he spoke. His face bore a childlike grin that made him look like a lunatic or a pervert.
"Maybe it can't find a place to go, so it loiters outside?" Linda hadn't put much thought into the motives behind the evil spirit's actions.
Charles shook his head, "Rather than say it can't find a place to go, I'd say... it's guarding the entrance."
"The mutants inside the lab are terrifying, possessing combat power comparable to a small army. Ordinary threats are negligible to them."
"The only thing that can actually pose a threat to them is... the curse!"
"They... they're afraid of the curse too?" Linda exclaimed, astonished.